Vacuum cleaner



Dec. 9, 1958 I s. BUDA 2,863,524

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Feb. 21, 1955 INVENTOR. SA L VA TORE BUDA BY EZEK/EL WOLF HIS nrromvsv United States Patent OfiElCC Patented Dec. 9, 1958 Corporation, Brooklyn, N, Y., a corporation of New York Application February 21, 1955, Serial No. 489,646

2 Claims. (Cl. 183-37) The present invention relates to a combination vacuum cleaner and blower apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner adapted for use in combination with a variety of different sized containers for receiving the vacuumed material in which the vacuum cleaner may be readily removed from one container when filled and replaced in another.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum cleaner having an operating motor positioned in a disk shaped housing, which is adapted to fit over barrels or drums of various sizes with the lower surface of the housing resting on the rim of the drum. This lower surface is lined with a rubber gasketing material which provides an air tight closure with the level rim of a drum when the air within the drum is pumped out by means of the vacuum motor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner having disposable filter bags adapted to fit within drums of various sizes. These bags are designed to permit a maximum amount of air to pass through the walls of the bag due to the pressure differential within the drum and the bag with a minimum of impedance from the dirt already within the bag. A further object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner adapted to fit over drums of various sizes which is capable of sucking up water and depositing it in the drum.

Also provided in this structure is an automatic cut off valve for stopping the suction upon the filling of the drums.

One more object of the present invention is to provide a double filter vacuum cleaner arrangement, in which air sucked into the drum must pass first through the bag containing the sucked-up dirt and secondly through an additional filter about the motor.

These and other objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in con nectionwith the accompanying drawings in which the figure illustrates a fragmentary cross sectional view of the invention as positioned on a largesized drurnQ In this structure, the housing, generally designated 1 has in general an inverted dish shape with a center section 2 forming an upwardly extending projection shaped and sized to fit overa vacuum motor of the usual type 3. This center section 2 has form'edabout it an apron section generally designated 3A which is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the periphery of the-center section 2. This apron 3A, which is contiguous with the center section 2, may be provided wit h an annular bend 4 forming a shoulder about thehousing. The periphery of this housing element 1 is provided with a rolled edge 5. At the top of the center section 2 is provided an on-off switch 6 for controlling the motor 3. An electric cord 7 for supplying power to the motor 3 extends through the housing section 2 at 8. Also provided in the housing section 2 is an air exhaust or blower tube 9 which may be secured to the housing section 2 by any suitextends from the periphery 5 inwardly to the housing section 2. An annular supporting flange 12 is secured below this gasket layer 11 by means of a series of nuts and bolts 13, passing through the apron element 3A. Positioned on this annular flange 12 is an annular gasket 14 which supports in turn, the base 15 of the motor 3. This base 15 is secured to the flange 12 by means of a series of nuts and bolts 16'passing through the flange 12 and base 15. Suitable openings not shown are provided through the motor 3 for permitting air forced upwardly through the opening 17 to pass outwardly through the air blower or exhaust 9. Such means may include perforations in the base 15 permitting passage of air upwardly between the motor 3 and the housing section 2 and out through the tube 9. Projecting downwardly through .the opening 17 is the rotating motor shaft 18. On this shaft is fixed the rotating blades 19 of the multi-stage fan with the fixed baflle plates 20, interposed between the blades 19 fixed at their outer periphery to the casing 21. This casing 21 which encloses the multi-stage fan of the usual type has an outwardly extending upper lip which is secured to the annular flange 12 by means of the previously mentioned nuts and bolts 16. This casing 21 is formed with a bottom 22 having an opening 23 at the center thereof. Fixed to the bottom of this casing 21 is a chamber 24 which is secured to the bottom 22 of the casing by means of the screws 26 passing through an outwardly extending lip at the upper edge of the chamber 24. This chamber 24 is provided with a plurality of holes 27 close to its upper end and an opening 28 at its bottom end. Positioned within the chamber 24 is a hollow float element 29 having a gasket of soft resilient materials such as rubber 30, secured to its upper edge. This float 29 is adapted to float upwardly in the chamber 24 as water or other liquid within the vacuum cleaner structure rises. The gasket element 30, is sufficiently large so that it will completely close off the opening 23 when the float 29 moves all the way up to the upper end of the chamber 24. Fixed about the casing 21 and the chamber 24 is a stiff wire enclosure generally designated 31 formed preferably of a series of U-shaped wire sections 32 and circular wire sections 33 attached to the legs of the wire sections 32. This framework is secured rigidly together by welding or other suitable means and in turn, may be secured to the casing 21 by Welding to the annular wire ring 34 at the upper end of the framework 31.

The casing 21 and the chamber 24 are enclosed in a fabric filter bag 35 which fits over the wire framework 31 and is drawn tight at the upper end of the casing 21 by means of a drawstring or by other suitable removable means. This filter bag may be of any of the usual materials used for such purposes. This vacuum cleaner is adapted to fit over a drum or barrel 36 with the upper edge 37 of the drum or barrel contacting the gasket material 11. As the apron 3A is inclined downwardly and outwardly at a very acute angle, the size of the drum 36 which is used may be varied considerably with any housing structure. In the drawing illustrated, the particular drum used is large compared with the vacuum cleaner housing as it contacts the apron close to its peripheral edge 5. However, much smaller drums are useable and may even contact the gasketing material at a point closer to the housing section 2 than the annular shoulder element 4.

A suction pipe 38 projects through the apron 3A and is provided with an extension 39 on the upper side of the apron to which an elongated hosing may be attached for the purpose of sucking up dirt or other material. This suction pipe passes through the apron 3A into a tube section 40 formed angularly to the portion of the tube 38 positioned above the apron. This tube section 40 of the air inlet tube is adapted to have tied about its end a dirt bag 41 sufficiently large in size to receive a substantial quantity of the vacuumed material. This bag may be made of paper or other fabric material which is suitable for containing the vacuumed material, but with sufficiently large pores through it to permit the free passage of air through its walls during the operation of the vacuum cleaner. This bag may be made of any suitable paper or fabric filter material having sufficient tensile strength to withstand the weight of the vacuumed materials. It is preferably formed of a single sheet of material folded at the bottom and stitched along its side edges with a binding tape 42 and stitching 43. It has been found that he particular shape of the bag is of some importance. For in the operation of this machine, the multiple stage fan sucks air from the barrel 36 and exhausts it through the tube or opening 9. This creates a partial vacuum under the housing 1 which secures it tightly to the edge 37 of the barrel or drum 36. This partial vacuum, in turn, causes air to be sucked in through the tube or pipe 38. The vacuumed material also being drawn into the tube 38 will fall into the bag 41 which is tied about the tube section 40 by means of the cord 44 or other suitable means. As the vacuum action becomes quite strong after a short time, the air entering the bag 41 has a substantial velocity. By properly designing the bag 41, this high velocity of air entering the bag may be utilized to keep a portion of the walls of the bag 41 free of the vacuumed material, thus allowing a substantially clean area on the bag, uncoated by the vacuumed material for the free passage of air outwardly from the bag and ultimately through the multiple stage fan. To accomplish this, the bag is shaped, when fiat, substantially as a rectangle having sides 45 and 46 a bottom 47 and an upper edge 48. From one corner of the upper edge 48 as illustrated, extends a somewhat constricted neck 49 open at the end by which it is secured to the tube 40. Air thus passing inwardly through the tube section 40 will pass through the rather constricted section or neck 49 with substantial velocity. This velocity ordinarily is sufiicient to maintain the walls of the bag forming this section 49, free of the vacuumed material.

Thus in the operation of this vacuum cleaner air being sucked into the drum through the pipe 38 passes through the wall of the bag 41 quite easily because of its particular design. This air in turn, passes through the filter bag 35 and through the multiple stage fan and out through the exhaust pipes 9. The use of two filter bags through which this air passes aids in keeping the multiple stage fan and motor elements free of dirt and other vacuumed material and insures a long and proper operation of the device.

If desired, this vacuumed structure may be used to suck up water or other liquids. In this operation an extension hose attached to the tube 38 conveys the water into the drum. As the level of water or other liquid rises it enters the opening 28 at the bottom of the chamber 24 raising the level of the float until the float reaches the top of the chamber 24 and finally closes the hole 23. This will, of course, cut off the air entering the casing 21 and will therefore, cause the vacuum action to cease. When this happens, the operator may turn off the motor 3 and remove the vacuum cleaner from the particular drum and place it on another drum and repeat the operation at will.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaning device, a cover member adapted to fit over open-ended containers of various sizes and comprising a center section, means extending across the bottom of the center section'for supporting a motor, an opening formed in and extending through said means, a peripheral apron extending outwardly from the bottom of the center section, a band of gasket material on the lower surface of the apron and adapted to lie against the edges of the open ends of containers of various sizes, an open-ended cylinder depending from the opening in said means, an exhaust fan disposed in said cylinder and adapted to direct air through said opening, a second cylinder having openings near the upper end of its side wall and secured immediately beneath the first-named cylinder and registering with its open lower end, a floatable piston positioned within the second cylinder for closing the said open lower end of the first-named cylinder, an inlet tube extending through the apron adjacent the center section and a bag secured to the tube below the apron for receiving dirt collected by the cleaner and preventing the dirt from entering the second cylinder, the exhaust fan and the center section.

2. In a vacuum cleaning device, a cover member adapted to fit over open-ended containers of various sizes and comprising a center section, means extending across the bottom of the center section for supporting a motor, an opening formed in and extending through said means, a peripheral apron extending outwardly from the bottom of the center section, a band of gasket material covering the lower surface of the apron and adapted to lie against the edges of the open end of containers of various sizes, an open-ended fan housing depending from the opening in said means, an exhaust fan disposed in said housing and adapted to direct air through said opening, a second housing having openings near the upper end of its side walls and secured immediately beneath the fan housing and registering with its open lower end, a floatable piston positioned within the second housing for closing the said open lower end of the fan housing, an inlet tube extending through the apron immediately adjacent the center section, and a bag secured to the tube below the apron for receiving dirt collected by the cleaner and preventing the dirt from entering the second housing, the fan housing and the center section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,356,061 Frank Oct. 19, 1920 1,503,411 Zimmerman July 29, 1924 1,553,076 Halsted Sept. 8, 1925 1,691,988 Olson Nov. 20, 1928 1,868,519 Breuer July 26, 1932 2,044,827 Adams June 23, 1936 2,116,233 Cole May 3, 1938 2,528,375 Lilly Oct. 31, 1950 2,540,919 Vallas Feb. 6, 1951 2,616,517 Beck 1 Nov. 4, 1952 2,649,927 Ortega Aug. 25, 1953 2,703,152 Petersen Mar. 1, 1955 2,731,103 Ortega Ian. 17, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 450,858 Germany Oct. 11, 1927 387,405 Great Britain Feb. 9, 1933 

